Rebecca Thorman: Social Media doesn't Create New Generation Leaders

We have a deep desire to feel that rise in our chests, the quickening of our breath, the spread of a smile.

Generation Y wants to change the world.

Not the environment. Not healthcare. Not education. Not poverty. Not racism. Not sexism. Not war. Not cancer. Not anything, really.

Just the world.

We want to change the world.

And in wanting so much, we get so little.

Restlessness courses through our veins, for we are never doing enough or being enough. Volunteering, leadership, and entrepreneurship, nor the eventual acceptance of the mundane satisfies our edge.

And there's a majority of us who just sit back. We sit back, content to lead mediocre lives. To never step out. To work, to love, to lead good lives. To lead good lives, but not extraordinary.

Who among us will lead an extraordinary life? Who will be the leader who steps out on an issue? Who is strong enough in their beliefs and convictions to not only sell their Volvo for a hybrid, but to tell the world about it and get others to do the same? Who will stand up for the horror and revulsion that plagues our world today?

Because the warmth from our laptop screens does little but light our idle faces.

Who will be loud enough? Who will scream?

There's an acceptance that it will all get done. And social media will help us do it. This idea that we can bring groups together over the internet through blogging and Facebooking, and that it will create significant change is ridiculous. It's hiring a gardener for the privilege of missing the sensation of earth between your fingers.

Sam Davidson tells a good fisherman story about a man that finds another man fishing and explains to him that if he catches many fish, well then he could eventually buy a boat. He could then catch many more fish, and could buy another boat, and another and another until he had a whole fleet of boats. And he would sure catch a lot of fish then, and with all of that he could then do whatever he wanted.

And the man replies, "You mean, fish?"

So it goes with social media. There is a man talking to another woman in a coffee shop. He says to her "you know if we stalked each other on Facebook and cuffed ourselves to our crackberries and twittered it up, we could communicate, and reach out to each other, and have great conversations, and you know, change things!"

And the woman replies, "You mean, like right now?"

We've created social media for the privilege of missing the look from someone across the table, face to face, secret to secret, ambition to ambition.
We create online communities that secure our quasi-anonymous lives, and moan about not being able to connect with someone.

When all we really have to do is simply say, "Hello."

Don't get me wrong. Facebook is great for all the reasons people say it's great. But when you focus on how a tool can change the world, instead of the cause itself, you mitigate the importance of taking action.

The amount of effort we put into our relationships is what will create change, not the amount of effort we put into building and maintaining the printing press, the telephone, the television, or the better, more collaborative, more inclusive web.

Comments

Great post, though I'm going to have to disagree with you. I think new media and social networks ARE creating new generation leaders. I also think that they are allowing us to connect with more and more people that we otherwise would not have known about. Through social networking and new media we are making great strides in making a difference and changing the world one step (and one person) at a time. One specific example already given was the Frozen Pea Fun but there are so many more. (also see: @MailOurMilitary on twitter)

I don't have to sit across the table from someone who lives 3500 miles from me to get involved in their life or their cause. I can send a card, dial their number, utter a word of encouragement, etc.

You don't have to show up in person to make a significant difference. You just have to get involved.

@Rebecca -- thank you for igniting a very lively conversation. I look forward to an opportunity to meet face to face and while the occasion presents itself to mobilize to be of service to you in any way.

@C. Weng -- that is quite an interesting eBook. Thank you for sharing and for participating.

@Joe -- so when are you traveling to Philadelphia ;-) I just came back from meeting two of my favorite Italian bloggers in Rome and will be meeting a very important marketing blog community voice in Italy on New Year's Eve. In person and in project has tremendous power to start showing the way to those who wax skeptical about social media.

You've chosen a great topic for this space. It is the 900lb gorilla in the room no one talks about.

Most IT systems, be they social media as mentioned or Oracle ERP systems, PeopleSoft performance management systems, or Outlook - were developed to support people and their interactions. They were not designed to be the interaction. This misnomer is a significant driver for why big consulting firms are hired as 'integrators' for systems changes. If people focused on each other and their work, the change in the supporting system wouldn't be that big of a deal.

Social media should be used for good: as a catalyst for people getting together in person - than for evil: being the only connection people have.